San Jose Jazzhttps://sanjosejazz.org
Education, performance, community.Fri, 22 Feb 2019 01:39:08 +0000en-UShourly1Exclusive Interview: Gilles Petersonhttps://sanjosejazz.org/exclusive-interview-gilles-peterson/
https://sanjosejazz.org/exclusive-interview-gilles-peterson/#respondMon, 11 Feb 2019 23:54:23 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=15366It can be hard to pinpoint Gilles Peterson’s contributions to modern music because they’re so wide-ranging. Since the 1980’s, he’s run three record labels (Acid Jazz, Talkin’ Loud, and currently Brownswood) and helped curate over 100 compilations; toured the world as a DJ; pioneered a musical movement (acid jazz, a term he comically coined, only for the tag to be widely misconstrued); and carved out a highly respected broadcasting career that includes a weekend spot ...

]]>It can be hard to pinpoint Gilles Peterson’s contributions to modern music because they’re so wide-ranging.

Since the 1980’s, he’s run three record labels (Acid Jazz, Talkin’ Loud, and currently Brownswood) and helped curate over 100 compilations; toured the world as a DJ; pioneered a musical movement (acid jazz, a term he comically coined, only for the tag to be widely misconstrued); and carved out a highly respected broadcasting career that includes a weekend spot on BBC (and, more recently, his own radio station, Worldwide FM).

Yet above all else, what seems to still drive him is an insatiable passion and curiosity for music yet discovered, and the subsequent responsibility to use his many platforms to help expose those sounds, whether they’re from rising talents or unsung legends. As he shared over coffee, “The art, if there is an art to it, is just never to allow it to become work.”

Given his 30-plus years behind the decks and the breadth of music he’s introduced audiences to on stage and over the airwaves, there’s truly no telling where this music obsessive and certified legend may take listeners on February 14, when he performs a DJ set inside the Continental for San Jose Jazz Winter Fest, co-presented by Universal Grammar.

There’s plenty to dive into with your relationship with jazz, but do you recall a first memory with the art form?

I think my entry point was certainly jazz funk. As a young boy growing up in South London, listening to pirate radio stations and catching whatever I could, it would have been coming from Brit Funk groups, jazz funk groups that were basically groups inspired by Earth, Wind and Fire and Cameo. There was a whole movement of groups like that in the UK, groups like Incognito and Light of the World.

The first time I heard a proper jazz track would’ve been [John Coltrane’s] “Giant Steps” in a club. That was at a soul weekender. You’d get a few thousand kids going to these holiday resorts that were empty in the non-summer months in England. The majority would be in the main room listening to Candido “Jingo” and Fatback Band “Do the Bus Stop.” But then around the back, there’d be a little room and there’d be DJs playing more complicated music.

It was in that room, at the age of 16, on the North Sea coastline, that I walked in and a DJ called Bob Jones was playing “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane on a loud sound system with maybe 15, 20 people dancing to it, battling.

Dancing to Coltrane?

Yeah. The back room would’ve been the jazz room, and that’s where the heavyweights would play to small amounts of people. That’s when I heard that music in an environment that struck with me. That’s how I got into proper jazz, when I heard it in that essence.

Suddenly, I found this scene where they were playing Latin jazz and heavy jazz and Afro-Cuban music and fusion, and there’d be these kids dancing, battling off to it. You’d have to go and travel to listen to [these DJs], so I’d go to places like Manchester or Nottingham or Birmingham.

People talk about Northern Soul as very much a British youth DJ culture. They talk of punks and mods and rockers, but one of the subcultures of Britain was the backroom jazz room, and that was something that didn’t happen anywhere [else] in the world. I went on to make that a part of my DNA as a DJ.

What did your five-year residency at Dingwalls in London in the late 80s and early 90s, where you helped pioneer what became known as acid jazz, teach you about DJing? Did it mean a lot to share the magic you found in jazz with others?

Of course. As somebody who was going through my own personal voyage of musical discovery, it was a phenomenal period of time.

I talk about it as a jazz thing, but equally, you wouldn’t be able to play a track like Roy Haynes “Dorian” without playing maybe a Rotary Connection or a track like “Destiny” by Rufus. It wasn’t about just jazz; it was about the light and the shade, and how you got from one place to another to get the most out of a song.

In an editorial for The Guardian, you said, referring to London, “for me as a DJ, it’s especially exciting to see the new connection being made between club culture and live jazz. It’s a link I’ve been trying to make for the last 30 years. Now more than ever, it feels as if that boundary’s finally being broken down.” Why are you as excited as you’ve ever been about that wall coming down?

Because it’s coming down. [Smiles] And it’s come down. It’s being realized, and people are appreciating it on all levels.

What’s really exciting for me is that the DJs are more interested in the live approach, and the live musicians are very aware of the DJs. Back then, I was forcing the jazz guys to listen to what we were playing. And the DJs were like “Oh god, not a band.”

So when you were programming these six hour shows, you would have DJs and live programming, but you’re trying to wrangle people from one space to the next? They didn’t fully co-exist in the exact same space?

Yeah. And even back then, at Dingwalls and the Wag Club, where I put a lot of live bands, we’d have all the British jazz musicians play there: Steve Williamson, Courtney Pine, Julian Joseph. There was a strong movement back in the late 80s and early 90s, but they were so in their art that they weren’t really listening to our point of view.

It was only really when I started working with Courtney on releasing his records that I introduced him to non-jazz music and how it could work. I put him in together with 4hero. I put him in together with Attica Blues, opening up his mind to the possibilities. Whereas this generation, it’s in their DNA. They go to a rave. They know what bassline is. They know what drill is. They know what grime is, and they can incorporate that into what they do as performers, which allows this to be a fresh music in a way, because there are contemporary reference points to draw from to create something which is special.

You’ve basically made a career, in many different forms, out of your incessant pursuit of discovering new music. I want to invert that concept for a second – are there any key musicians you still find yourself revisiting?

I think for me, the artist I always discover something new with is Sun Ra. I can always put on a Sun Ra record and hear something that’s going to make me go “Wow.” Records I never thought I would ever have got into before – some of his more open, free stuff, which would’ve been noisy back then – I’m finding that [now] I get it.

Throughout your many endeavors – Future Bubblers, Brownswood, Worldwide FM, Havana Cultura – there’s a through-line to the idea of exposure and mentorship. Why continually choose to help guide young creatives, whether it’s through music or broadcasting?

I think I come from a generation where it wasn’t so easy. Until my mid 20’s I still thought I was going to have to get a normal job, and it’s still a bit of a dream that I was able to somehow survive within music. I feel that I owe the new generation because I was given these opportunities by my mentors.

In the UK, we’re the first ones really to be able to go “Look, we did well out of this. This is the way. We now need to guide you.” I think the jazz world here has always had that. All the great jazz musicians, most of them became professors. That’s part of their responsibility, and I see it the same way. I’m very aware that with the BBC, it’s a platform to a world that wouldn’t know my music or the music I support.

The main thing for people like myself is: how do you find a window for normal people to get inside? How can you open the door for people who would never find that door to come in? That’s what any culture needs, and any art needs. Art needs the door openers, and I’m a door opener. Just like someone opened the door to me when I was 16 and they played me “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane very loud, and it had a very deep impact on me.

Musical evangelism, almost.

People say to me “Why do you play in Ibiza?” I’ll go and do that gig because in that 2000 people who are out on that dance floor, if I flip it out 25 minutes into my set, I might lose a lot of people, but some of them might have the most amazing moment.

It’s very easy for me to preach to the converted all day long. The difficult thing is finding yourself out of your comfort zone and in a situation where you can create some agitation, but out of that, some people will have discovered something. That’s what happened to me, and I continue to push that.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/exclusive-interview-gilles-peterson/feed/02018 SJZ Holiday Playlisthttps://sanjosejazz.org/2018-sjz-holiday-playlist/
https://sanjosejazz.org/2018-sjz-holiday-playlist/#respondThu, 20 Dec 2018 20:19:15 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=15126Let’s face it, hearing the same seasonal classics covered by the usual suspects can get, well…a bit boring. So we put together a different kind of playlist for your holiday listening pleasure. You’ll find chestnuts performed by jazz greats and New Orleans artists and original songs by some new discoveries. Happy Holidays from San Jose Jazz. ﻿

]]>Let’s face it, hearing the same seasonal classics covered by the usual suspects can get, well…a bit boring. So we put together a different kind of playlist for your holiday listening pleasure. You’ll find chestnuts performed by jazz greats and New Orleans artists and original songs by some new discoveries. Happy Holidays from San Jose Jazz.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/2018-sjz-holiday-playlist/feed/0Exclusive Videos: Tiffany Austin at Summer Fest 2018https://sanjosejazz.org/videos-of-tiffany-austin-summer-fest-2018/
https://sanjosejazz.org/videos-of-tiffany-austin-summer-fest-2018/#respondWed, 19 Dec 2018 23:01:02 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=15122If you were lucky, you caught Tiffany Austin’s thrilling morning set at the British Airline’s Music Lounge at the 2018 Summer Fest. We teamed up with the UK’s SoulandJazz.com to use the latest technology to capture the excitement and essence of nine of the performances presented there over Fest weekend. Filmed in both full HD and Virtual Reality—with audio captured by Sennheiser—these tapings are a glorious opportunity to see how a moment in time is recorded and ...

]]>If you were lucky, you caught Tiffany Austin’s thrilling morning set at the British Airline’s Music Lounge at the 2018 Summer Fest.

We teamed up with the UK’s SoulandJazz.com to use the latest technology to capture the excitement and essence of nine of the performances presented there over Fest weekend. Filmed in both full HD and Virtual Reality—with audio captured by Sennheiser—these tapings are a glorious opportunity to see how a moment in time is recorded and delivered to the world as a dynamic, faithful reproduction of a performance.

Enjoy Tiffany’s live performances of three songs selected from her latest album, Unbroken.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/videos-of-tiffany-austin-summer-fest-2018/feed/0Wally Schnalle on the SJZ Collective’s First Tourhttps://sanjosejazz.org/wally-schnalle-on-the-sjz-collectives-first-tour/
https://sanjosejazz.org/wally-schnalle-on-the-sjz-collectives-first-tour/#respondWed, 17 Oct 2018 19:19:49 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=14520The SJZ Collective has embarked on their first international tour as a Collective. During their tour of Taiwan, they are scheduled to perform at the 2018 Taichung Jazz Festival, the Sappho Club in Taipei, and the Blue Note in Taipei. In this special blog post, the drummer and founder of the Collective Wally Schnalle writes in about their first big performance. (Tuesday, October 16, 2018) “Our time in Taiwan has been well worth the thirteen ...

The SJZ Collective has embarked on their first international tour as a Collective. During their tour of Taiwan, they are scheduled to perform at the 2018 Taichung Jazz Festival, the Sappho Club in Taipei, and the Blue Note in Taipei. In this special blog post, the drummer and founder of the Collective Wally Schnalle writes in about their first big performance.

(Tuesday, October 16, 2018) “Our time in Taiwan has been well worth the thirteen hours in a cramped airline seat to get here. Everyone we’ve come in contact with has been friendly and helpful. The food has been amazing and the Night Market experiences we’ve had make me feel like Anthony Bourdain. With hundreds of scooters sharing the streets with pedestrians, it’s a new experience that keeps you on your toes. Also, having bubble tea in the city were it was created is not to be taken lightly either.

“So far on our journey, the most amazing experience has been performing for thousands at the Taichung International Jazz Festival. Hristo Vitchev, John L. Worley Jr, Brian Ho, Oscar Pangilinan, Saúl Sierra and I all played our versions of Thelonious Monk’s compositions. My arrangement of ‘Green Chimneys’ opened the show followed by Hristo’s beautiful arrangement of ‘Round Midnight.’ Brian contributed two arrangements to the evening’s show; ‘Shuffle Boil’ and our show closer, ‘Teo.’ The audience was also treated to one of Monk’s most beautiful melodies in Oscar’s arrangement of ‘Ask Me Now.’ The festival asked us to include a song to fit this year’s nature theme, so I contributed a 7/4 groove version of ‘Honeysuckle Rose,’ a tune often played by Monk.

“The staging, sound, lights and equipment were all first class but by far the appreciative audience of thousands is what really made the evening special. That’s what we as musicians do this for. We practice, rehearse, travel, chase gigs and study, all for those great musical moments like last night. Experiences like this are the culmination of many people’s efforts coming together to create a singular moment between the musicians and the audience that cannot be replicated.

“Today our Taiwan journey continues with our travel to Taipei were we will perform at Sappho Jazz Club tonight and Blue Note Taipei tomorrow. Here’s to more great performances, bubble tea and street food!”

For more photos of the SJZ Collective’s tour, follow San Jose Jazz on Facebook and Instagram!

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/wally-schnalle-on-the-sjz-collectives-first-tour/feed/0José James’ Meeting with Bill Withers Sparks a National Tourhttps://sanjosejazz.org/jose-james-meeting-with-bill-withers-sparks-a-national-tour/
https://sanjosejazz.org/jose-james-meeting-with-bill-withers-sparks-a-national-tour/#respondFri, 06 Apr 2018 01:00:43 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=13458José James is no stranger to San Jose Jazz. As an eclectic artist James combines blues, spoken-word, hip-hop, contemporary R&B and jazz to form a genre all his own. One of the first artists featured in our Jazz Beyond programming stream, James has been on the rise since his debut on our stage for Winter Fest 2013. Having seven albums to his credit, James’ latest project Lean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers came out of ...

JoséJames is no stranger to San Jose Jazz. As an eclectic artist James combines blues, spoken-word, hip-hop, contemporary R&B and jazz to form a genre all his own. One of the first artists featured in our Jazz Beyond programming stream, James has been on the rise since his debut on our stage for Winter Fest 2013. Having seven albums to his credit, James’ latest project Lean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers came out of a dinner shared by the R&B icon and James, as fanboy.

Inspired by the question, “What better way to bring positivity to the world while challenging the racist, fascist and sexist status quo?” James sees Withers’ songs as a reflection of “a love for community, for unification; his music respects elders, mentors and explores male vulnerability in a way that’s missing from today’s R&B. And his catalog is vast and powerful. He’s simply one of the best living songwriters, period.” James set out to sit down with legendary jazz singer-songwriter, Bill Withers, not knowing that his meeting would spark a national tour featuring some of the most infamous tracks of Withers musical career.

James recalls the meeting as one of the personal highlights of his life. “We had dinner at Musso and Frank’s and sat in the Frank Sinatra booth, just down the street from the Capitol [Records] building. He’s a total genius and one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. I learned more in that one hour with him than I learned at music school or a decade’s worth of live shows. He’s seen it all and worked with the best of them, in every category. At one point he pulled out his phone and started chatting about friends he’s made in the business, moving easily between Muhammad Ali, James Brown and John Mayer. We all adore him and any songwriter worth their salt knows that Bill is up there with Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Smokey Robinson, Carole King, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Elton John, Billy Joel – he’s in the pantheon of greats. Plus he’s an amazing singer and developed a sophisticated sound that blends funk, singer-songwriter, blues, R&B and gospel. This is where John Legend, Alicia Keys, D’angelo, people like that come from. This is home. I showed him my list of his songs and he absolutely loved it. I think he’s happy that his music still has a place in the lives and hearts of people worldwide and that we all want to celebrate his life and talent.”

Catch Lean On Me: JoséJames Celebrates Bill Withers at Cafe Stritch on May 12 at 8pm and 10pm.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/jose-james-meeting-with-bill-withers-sparks-a-national-tour/feed/0Wealth of Drummers at Winter Fest 2018https://sanjosejazz.org/wealth-drummers-winter-fest-2018/
https://sanjosejazz.org/wealth-drummers-winter-fest-2018/#respondFri, 09 Feb 2018 19:18:21 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=13140This year’s Winter Fest is a drummer’s fest, of sorts. Drummers lead no less than six of the groups performing February 15–28. Leading off on opening night will be drummer Will Calhoun in a free performance on the Sonic Runway, a sound-responsive art installation direct from Burning Man to San Jose’s City Hall Plaza. Will has performed with many A-list musicians after coming to fame in the rock group Living Colour. This outdoor performance of ...

]]>This year’s Winter Fest is a drummer’s fest, of sorts. Drummers lead no less than six of the groups performing February 15–28.

Leading off on opening night will be drummer Will Calhoun in a free performance on the Sonic Runway, a sound-responsive art installation direct from Burning Man to San Jose’s City Hall Plaza. Will has performed with many A-list musicians after coming to fame in the rock group Living Colour. This outdoor performance of percussion and lights will be a really unique experience.

At Cafe Stritch on February 17 is Sameer Gupta, playing material from his upcoming album, A Circle Has No Beginning. Several decades ago I had the pleasure of giving a younger Sameer a few lessons. It was obvious to me then that he was talented and on a trajectory that would serve him well as a musician. And it has. He has developed a drumming voice that combines his jazz experience with classical Indian percussion.

I have the honor of leading a band amazing musicians as I head up the SJZ Collective at Cafe Stritch on 2/22. We will be paying tribute to jazz great Thelonious Monk by reimagining several of his compositions with arrangements contributed by all the members of the group. Here’s a recording of the classic Monk tune I’m arranging for the concert, “Green Chimneys:”

The very next night, SJZ presents another distinctive musical vision, that of drummer and multi instrumentalist Louis Cole who brings his band KNOWER to Art Boutiki on Friday, February 23. His brand of infectious electro-pop/funk/jazz music has grown exponentially on-line during the past decade with the help of musical partner Genevieve Artadi.

On Saturday, February 23, Mike Clark leads a powerful quartet at Cafe Stritch. Mike’s distinctive voice developed in the East Bay in the 70s and it has been well documented. But perhaps no track captures it more famously than Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof.” Mike once told me the story of that recording session. It’s a tribute to persistence and believing in your musical vision. Have a listen to Mike explaining the thought behind this famous groove, and then check out the finished Herbie Hancock track:

Near the end of the Fest, on February 25, Mark Guiliana leads his Jazz Quartet at Cafe Stritch. Mark is one of the most influential contemporary voices on the drum set. His approach to playing and composing reflects his experience and interaction with both contemporary electronic music and jazz.

Tickets to the San Jose Jazz Winter Fest, Presented by Metro, are now on sale.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/wealth-drummers-winter-fest-2018/feed/0Winter Fest 2018 Playlisthttps://sanjosejazz.org/winter-fest-2018-playlist/
https://sanjosejazz.org/winter-fest-2018-playlist/#respondWed, 24 Jan 2018 20:56:42 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=12968Quality and variety are two hallmarks of any San Jose Jazz festival and this year’s Winter Fest, running from February 15 through 28, is no different. From the world’s best vocalists, including Grammy and Tony Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater, to rising artist Veronica Swift; to some of the planet’s most virtuosic guitar players at International Guitar Night, there is a lot to discover, for any musical taste. Not sure which artists you want to ...

]]>Quality and variety are two hallmarks of any San Jose Jazz festival and this year’s Winter Fest, running from February 15 through 28, is no different. From the world’s best vocalists, including Grammy and Tony Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater, to rising artist Veronica Swift; to some of the planet’s most virtuosic guitar players at International Guitar Night, there is a lot to discover, for any musical taste.

Not sure which artists you want to hear live at the Fest? Then have a listen at this playlist featuring many of the Fest’s most interesting artists.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/winter-fest-2018-playlist/feed/0Interview with Summer Jazz Camp Special Guest Taylor Eigstihttps://sanjosejazz.org/interview-taylor-eigsti/
https://sanjosejazz.org/interview-taylor-eigsti/#respondThu, 18 May 2017 21:48:14 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=11849This year, SJZ Summer Jazz Camp welcomes Bay Area native Taylor Eigsti as its special guest. Before his appearance on June 29 and 30, we spoke with the New York-based pianist by phone to learn why he connected with music at such a young age. We also asked if he had any advice for our eager campers before they arrive at Valley Christian High School on June 19. What first drew you to the piano? ...

]]>This year, SJZ Summer Jazz Camp welcomes Bay Area native Taylor Eigsti as its special guest. Before his appearance on June 29 and 30, we spoke with the New York-based pianist by phone to learn why he connected with music at such a young age. We also asked if he had any advice for our eager campers before they arrive at Valley Christian High School on June 19.

What first drew you to the piano? Did you grow up in a musical household?

I definitely did grow up in a music household. My sister, who passed away when she was 17 and I was 3, was a jazz and rock pianist. My dad was a drummer for a hobby. I was exposed to a lot of really good music.

It didn’t really dawn on me that you could have a career in music until I was about eight years old. I had asked my dad how much one of my favorite pianists had to pay each time he performed. He explained to me that you actually get paid to do it. At that point, I was pretty sold.

I feel really lucky that I was able to find my passion when I was really young. A lot of people don’t really figure that out until later on in life.

With that said, were you performing in public a lot from a young age?

The first time I got a chance to play with Dave Brubeck, I was 12 years old. That led to a lot of other opportunities – doing concerts with my own trio, playing in other bands, and touring quite a bit with the Brubeck Brothers. I started doing that when I was 14 or 15.

What did you learn from Dave Brubeck that still influence how you look at your playing or your career?

Two of the biggest things I learned from him were that you can do this your whole life, and you can be nice to everyone.

The last time I saw him, I went to his house to have dinner. It was past the point when he was able to travel to perform, and I remember he had a little Casio keyboard he was messing around with at the dinner table. To have a career in music, you have to love what you’re doing enough that the reason you’re doing it is your engagement with the music. [Music] is one of those professions where it’s just a part of you, so you can do it your whole life and not have to separate your job or work from what you really like to do. It’s really a beautiful combination.

Tell me a bit about your experience with SJZ’s Summer Jazz Camp.

My first time at San Jose Jazz [jazz camp], it was called Jazz Goes to College. I think it was one of the first years it started. I was there as Smith Dobson’s assistant. Smith would leave the room and have me take over the class. I thought he was running an errand, but he would secretly be watching through a crack in the door. He wanted to put me on the spot and have me teaching from an early age.

One of the greatest things I gained from that experience was the ability to start articulating musical ideas and finding ways to help people understand and develop musically based on my experience or whatever else. It was a great thing, because I think when people have the opportunity to start teaching early on, you learn so much from being a teacher. I was lucky to have the opportunity to start that early on, because now I’ve been teaching in various contexts for more than 20 years.

Getting a chance to lead a class at that at age must have been both nerve-racking and highly rewarding.

At that time, camp was all ages. There were people I was teaching who were around my same age, and then there were full-on adults. For me, it was a bizarre thing, but it was good really early on to understand that we’re all sharing information. Anyone can learn from anyone.

What advice would you offer students eager to spend a few weeks at camp?

When I was that age, my biggest takeaway was making friends and being social. Ultimately, you’re all there learning musical things and interacting with the music, but jazz is a social art form. Learning the mechanics of operating socially with people is immensely important, especially later on in life. If you end up touring constantly, you’re around other human beings all the time, and you’ve got to get along with them.

I’ve found that the most impactful thing is to experience something with friends. That’s the great thing about those kinds of camps. When I was 11 years old, after [Jazz Goes to College], I was a student at Stanford Jazz Workshop a few weeks later. The first combo I was in was with Thomas Pridgen on drums, who went on to win a Grammy with Mars Volta, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Dayna Stephens on sax, Ryan Snow on trombone, Charles Altura on guitar. I find myself still playing with these people. When you meet people at a young age that you’re playing music with, those people stay with you. They can become friends for life.

Do you think that’s important to the longevity of jazz, to have a place where young musicians can come together and inspire one another?

I tell this to a lot of different master classes of students: not everyone in a big master class at a jazz camp is going to go on to have a professional jazz career, but some of them might go on to have a career in music, and what they learned there will apply on every level. There are so many other branches to what’s going on, and when you learn about the music and you’re in that social environment, you see how you fit into it.

I always encourage people to not get too caught up in the pressure of saying, “I’m here because this is the way I’ll have a career as a jazz musician.” Maybe someone will go on to be a pop musician, and maybe someone will go on to be an athlete or something else, but they got something out of that interaction with the music. If someone comes into one of those places and they’ve never been around jazz, if they’re around friends and they’re listening socially, it can be really eye-opening and can be a really powerful, amazing experience to be engaged in that.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/interview-taylor-eigsti/feed/0Field Trip: SJZ Progressions Students Visit SF Symphony Youth Orchestrahttps://sanjosejazz.org/progressions-sf-symphony-youth/
https://sanjosejazz.org/progressions-sf-symphony-youth/#respondWed, 10 May 2017 23:00:31 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=11796This guest post from Progressions Director Julie Rinard recaps the field trip Progressions students recently took to see an open dress rehearsal by the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Thanks to the support of Haynes & Boone, LLP, Santa Clara Vanguard and San Jose Jazz, Progressions students and family members took a field trip to watch the dress rehearsal of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra last Saturday. Progressions brass instructor and former member of ...

]]>This guest post from Progressions Director Julie Rinard recaps the field trip Progressions students recently took to see an open dress rehearsal by the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Thanks to the support of Haynes & Boone, LLP, Santa Clara Vanguard and San Jose Jazz, Progressions students and family members took a field trip to watch the dress rehearsal of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra last Saturday.

Progressions brass instructor and former member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra Andrew Hill (trombone) organized the trip, which was an eye-opening experience for our students and family members. Students were inspired by Davies Symphony Hall, the stage and the high quality of the orchestra. On the trip back, one flute student who had previously aspired to be a soccer player and inventor modified her career aspirations: “After going on this field trip,” she said, “I have decided I also want to be a musician.”

Students especially enjoyed the percussion pieces at the beginning of the program (the first movement of Nebojša Jovan Živković’s Trio per Uno and Steve Reich’s Nagoya Marimbas). One Progressions trombone student even had a chance to interact with the trombone coach (Assistant Principal Trombonist of the San Francisco Symphony, Nick Platoff) and asked if he could follow along with the score.

The camaraderie among the students and family members on the bus ride home was palpable. Members of the Progressions team said everyone seemed unified by the shared experience of doing something new and inspirational together for the very first time.

This excursion to see the San Francisco Youth Symphony Orchestra was the third SJZ-organized field trip this spring for Progressions students. On March 3-4, Santee students traveled to San Francisco to participate in a San Francisco Maritime National Parks Association trip entitled “Age of Sail.”

Through this trip, the clocks of time were turned back to 1906 and students were immersed in an 18-hour journey through the past on a real ship. The program encourages students to develop self-confidence and self-reliance, which in turn fosters a sense of responsibility for themselves, their shipmates, and their community. More recently, Progressions students participated in SJZ’s International Jazz Day celebrations in Downtown San Jose on April 30.

The Progressions team is grateful to our donors and supporters who make this kind of experience possible for our, inquisitive students.

]]>https://sanjosejazz.org/progressions-sf-symphony-youth/feed/0In Memoriam: Summer Fest Volunteers Bob Gardner & Ray Winanshttps://sanjosejazz.org/bob-gardner-ray-winans/
https://sanjosejazz.org/bob-gardner-ray-winans/#respondThu, 27 Apr 2017 21:14:17 +0000https://sanjosejazz.org/?p=11657Bob Gardner (right) pictured alongside fellow Summer Fest volunteer Steve Pollock. This is a guest post from SJZ’s Artistic Director Bruce Labadie, who was familiar with the contributions both Bob Gardner and Ray Winans provided the organization over the years. We have been lucky to have some of the best long-term volunteers who fill in critical roles, without which we would not be able to present Summer Fest, a quality festival we’ve presented for close ...

This is a guest post from SJZ’s Artistic Director Bruce Labadie, who was familiar with the contributions both Bob Gardner and Ray Winans provided the organization over the years.

We have been lucky to have some of the best long-term volunteers who fill in critical roles, without which we would not be able to present Summer Fest, a quality festival we’ve presented for close to 30 years.

Two such volunteers passed away recently. Bob Gardner, a lead transportation volunteer, helped us manage the arrival and departure of the hundreds of musician who attend the festival each year. He was tireless, enthusiastic, dedicated, and generous with his resources. Unfortunately, his heart gave out last week. Myself, our transportation crew, and all the musicians he came in contact with will miss him.

Ray Winans, one of our key backstage volunteers who helped manage Main Stage, had his hear give out as well. Ray was a delight to work with, and I had the pleasure of doing so at San Jose Jazz and with other organizations for more than 20 years. He handled the most difficult of situations with poise and patience, and could be counted on to anticipate and handle our hospitality needs. It won’t be easy to fill his shoes.

We say goodbye to both of these men and thank them for being part of our organization for so many years. Summer Fest won’t be the same without them.

Bob Gardner’s widow has requested, in lieu of flowers, that those wishing to honor Bob make a donation to San Jose Jazz’s education programs. You can do so by visiting our donate page and requested your donation go to supporting SJZ’s education efforts. Though the service honoring Ray took place on April 20, the life celebration for Bob Gardner will be Saturday, April 29 at 12pm inside Saratoga Federated Church (20390 Park Pl, Saratoga).